Craig Brush - Builder (Hockey) - Class of 2025

Over the span of many decades and several countries, Craig Brush’s contributions to hockey have been immense. 

Born in Milton, Craig’s local minor hockey exploits in town earned him a scholarship from Cornell University, where he was part of the Cornell Big Red team that won the NCAA Division-I National Championship in 1970, with an undefeated record of 29-0-0.

Craig’s significant legacy lies in his work as a builder of hockey at the professional level. After college, Craig returned home to play for the Oakville Oaks and later moved to Detroit. Through coaching his sons’ hockey teams in the famed Compuware Hockey Program, Craig met Peter Karmanos, then the owner of the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.

Alongside Peter, Craig co-founded the Florida Everblades, an East Coast Hockey League club, in 1998. Under Craig’s leadership as President and General Manager, the Everblades have become a dominant force in the league.

With virtually no meaningful hockey presence in South Florida at the time in the 1990s, Craig’s dedication to hockey development is evident through his role in creating youth programs, developing arenas, and engaging and nurturing hockey fans.

As of 2025, his teams have captured the Kelly Cup four times (2012, 2022, 2023, 2024), making the playoffs in 25 of 26 seasons.

In 2016, Craig was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame. Named Man of the Year in Estero, Florida, a statue has even been erected in his honour outside the Everblades’ arena.

Craig’s father, the late Dave Brush was inducted in the Milton Sports Hall of Fame as a hockey and baseball builder in 2018, making them the first father-son duo to be enshrined. His profound impact on hockey will continue, with Craig secure in the knowledge that he has inspired generations of players and fans alike.